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And if you live here and have healthcare and a mutuelle, I don't suppose you care, but today I was robbed, and you're paying for it, whether you notice or not.

After an exhaustive search of local supermarkets, and after not realising that the industrial-sized tub I'd left here was empty, I was forced to conclude that Vaseline is a controlled substance in France. As an aside, the average French baby seems to have a choice of more skincare products than I've used in my lifetime. But I digress.

My normal purchases of petroleum jelly take place in Poundland, where I can buy a mega-tub for a price you might be able to guess. But, as I said, I forgot to bring more. So today, in dire need and desperation, I made a trip to the local pharmacie. Where it was not on display. So when a helpful member of staff asked if she could help me, I asked. Yes, they had some. She hurried off into the depths of the dispensary, emerging with two small, boxed tubes of the generic product. I said I'd take the larger one. 100ml. €5.60. That's not an exchange rate issue, that's an issue of grand theft.

Clearly, it's kept in the dispensary because it's prescribed. Meaning the government and the insurance companies are reimbursing you and yours for ridiculously overpriced stuff that has no business being hidden in the dispensary and even less business being sold as if it were a class A drug.

Someone is paying for the suppliers to receive these grossly inflated prices for generic, over-the-counter products. If your mutuelle keeps going up and up, here's one contributing factor. Poundland can do it...why can't France?
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I know this wouldn't have helped you as you needed it pronto and I have no idea if it's a prescription only substance or not, but I order Vaseline (in the 250 ml tub with the blue plastic lid) for about 3 euros from Amazon France.

But I do agree that you need to keep away from pharmacies unless it's for an ordonnance.  Nowadays there are more and more on-line pharmacies which are generally cheaper but cost of delivery could push prices up or you might have to buy industrial quantities to qualify for free delivery.  I use one where, about 4 or 5 times a year, they give you free delivery with no minimum purchase.  So I stock up on my fav products and wait and order at only those times of no charge for delivery.

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Wooly I get through lots...I won't drag you into my personal hell by explaining what for.

Yes, Amazon is a good shout, and indeed friends have since told me that Action sell it for 99 cents...only the nearest branch is 50 miles away so not a viable option. Mr Betty is off to the UK soon and will return later so I'll get him to bring a vat of the stuff when he returns.
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[quote user="Lehaut"] .................

Instead of copper ease/grease? ................. [/quote]

No, for hydraulic parts - seals, covers, and the outer part of pistons.

I know it's a petroleum product, but I was sold it by a brake shop, and it doesn't seem to have damaged anything in many years.

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I found what I could get from pharmacies in France very confusing and expensive.

For kids scrapes, all I could get was mercuochrome, red it was and I didn't like putting red on a wound in case it became infected. No savlon on germolene.

Never bought vaseline in France, but I daresay that would have cost an arm and a leg.

When I had my first baby in a clinic they gave a list of products to buy, and as I had not been offered or had any anti natal classes, was clueless, so we bought the lot. Cost a fortune.

Years later my friend had her baby in the same clinic and was given a similar list, and I crossed most of the stuff out, much to her consternation, but she only did buy what I suggested.

So yes, basics are too dear in France. Far too expensive and the health service is being conned as far as I am concerned, and as Betty said, those who pay in.

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In the interim, I have discovered that Action have, indeed, opened in my local town, so I've just been down there and obtained a 250ml tub of their finest Vaseline for the princely sum of 99 cents. Vaseline with the Vaseline trademark was about €2 for 200ml. So the lesson is clear. Pharmacies are ripping people off.

Clearly there are some things that the Great European Model has not managed to sort out. And this is a good example. It's a shame that everyone is, knowingly or unknowingly, subsidising this sort of thing through their taxes , social charges and insurance premiums though.

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https://www.completefrance.com/living-in-france/healthcare/11-things-you-need-to-know-about-french-pharmacies-1-5148234

France looks after all its citizens - I would argue that pharmacies are underused in the UK but extra funding would need to be found from somewhere (taxing those who can afford perhaps?).

If you google OTC medicines in France you will see that it probably wont change for a while.

Don't really know the whole answer, but if massive quantities of a "drug" are used for a medicinal purpose then a doctor/pharmacist could well help. Even if it is only giving a prescription which can be reimbursed.

If over 60 then freeby in the UK.

I didn't feel ripped off last summer, though, when my GP suggested continuing with antihistamine and didn't issue a prescription for it.

Its just a different system with different priorities.

NB if using the internet dont forget to add on delivery charges.

NB2 my take on twice the price for a trademarked product is - what a rip-off.

.
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Further to Richard's post - in my previous post I implied that in France pharmacies are inclined to favour prescribed meds, because they get a bonus for each one.  Nothing for over the counter. So they put the price up.

A few years ago many pharmacies had to combine or close down when the govt. reduced the number of reimbursed meds.

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@ Teapot: LOL! If I were to attempt jogging, the effect on my nipples would be the least of my worries. I'd probably need to phone the SAMU before even setting off. In the Great British Tradition of "sitting down " sports, I'll stick to my bike?
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The number of rural and small town pharmacies has dropped sharply in the last few years as they cannot, apparently, make a living.

I suspect that the model is broken and may need revising, but how ?

Locally, medical practitioners are grouping more and more and bringing in the various related skills such as physiotherapy, so that they offer a medical range. Perhaps a pharmacy should be brought in as well so that folks could go there directly after consultation. This would cause an outcry of course.

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Wools: our village pharmacy was moved to spiffy new premises and upgraded within the last five years. It is now twice the size, has its own dedicated car park, a staff of dozens and a special section for medical equipment such as walking frames and commodes. It used to be slap bang next to the doctors' surgery, it's now 50 metres away. The investment by the commune has been colossal.

Conversely, the village doctors (the remaining two) are hanging on by a thread, and the wait for an appointment is making the NHS look like the epitome of success. Like most rural cabinets, they can't persuade any new doctors on board: it might help if they priced the cost of buying into the practice at a realistic level, but I think the remaining two GP's are thought to want to wring the last pound of flesh out of the practice before they retire.
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I never could work out how most GP's could make a 'good' living. At something like 25€ a consulation and that is it. Ours always took getting on for 20minutes if not longer.

And a home visit costs 10€ extra....... not a get rich career is it.

In fact I have heard it said that in some cities GP's end up earning minimum wage.

Our french village Dr was in Devon when a member of the group he was with, took ill. He came home amazed at how much GP's earned and I think seriously thought about the move. No idea what his english was like though, he never ever spoke to me in english, which is really how it should be in France as far as I am concerned.

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Following our move to the suburbs of a major French town, we expected to have difficulties signing on at the nearest Dr, 5 mins walk down the road. They took the 4 of us on straight away. I asked how long in advance we needed to book an apointment (15 days at our last Maison Medical I explained to the receptionist). She looked at me with disbelief - tomorrow if you are ill, 3 days if its routine was the reply. A nice surprise.
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